A-C board to discuss amending zoning ordinance

Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 1999

By Joanna SotoStaff Writer

The Athens-Clarke Commission will discuss a zoning ordinance amendment tonight that would extend the single-family definition -- which prohibits more than two unrelated people from living together -- to some subdivisions in the agricultural/residential-zoned areas.

The ordinance currently applies only to areas zoned single-family residential.

The commission will meet at City Hall, 300 College Ave. downtown, at 7 p.m. in a non-voting meeting to set the agenda for its April 6 voting session. Other notable items the commission is expected to discuss tonight include potential sites for two sales-tax-funded community parks, one in East Athens and another in southeastern Clarke County.

The proposed zoning amendment would require that property in an agricultural/residential zoning district be rezoned to single-family residential whenever such a tract of land is subdivided into three or more parcels.

The rezoning would impose more development restrictions on the subdivided land, including the limit on the number of unrelated people that can live together.

Currently, there are no restrictions on the number of unrelated people who can live in houses on agricultural/residential-zoned land.

According to a report from the Athens-Clarke Planning Department staff, the amendment is necessary to preserve the rural character of the area.

''There is a concern that lots have recently been developed in the AR (agricultural/residential) district, which house or will house structures that have characteristics similar to two-family and multi-family developments rather than single-family neighborhoods,'' according to the staff's written statement to Athens-Clarke commissioners.

The proposed zoning amendment was unanimously approved by the Athens-Clarke Planning Commission on March 4. The planning commission, an appointed body, serves the Athens-Clarke Commission in an advisory capacity. The Athens-Clarke Commission makes the final decision on all zoning matters.

Also at tonight's meeting, a list of potential sites for two new local sales tax-funded community parks will be considered. Both parks are expected to be about 100 acres and will include sports facilities, picnic areas and community activity buildings. However, the current local sales tax-funded budgets can't pay for all of the parks' proposed amenities.

An Atlanta consulting firm, Robert and Co., will present a report ranking and grading all of the potential sites at the commission meeting.

The candidate sites for the East Athens Community Park include: an area adjacent to the Athens Perimeter between Conrad Drive and Lake Street; between Trail Creek and the CSX railroad tracks; Indian Hills Road at the corner of Spring Valley Road; and Hancock Road between Hancock Industrial Way and Spring Valley Road.

Possible locations for the Southeast Clarke County community park include: Whit Davis Road between the Jockey Club Estates and Plantation Estates neighborhoods; Whit Davis Road at the intersection of Lexington Highway; south of Belmont Road between Morton Road and Barnett Shoals Road; Whit Davis Road at the corner of Barnett Shoals Road; and north of Whitehall Road and adjacent to the North Oconee River.

Other issues to be discussed at tonight's meeting include:

n A list of recipients for $2.3 million in federal grants for local activities and capital projects in economic development, housing, public facilities and social services. The commission will have to approve the list of recipients and then send it to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

n A $2.2 million package of road maintenance projects that will cover 70 lane-miles of the county's roads. Despite over $1 million in general fund and local sales-tax money and $370,000 in state transportation money, the road maintenance package is expected to have an $825,000 budget shortfall.

n Two State Construction Company of Thomson's submission of the apparent low bid for construction of a new fire station on Barnett Shoals Road near College Station Road. The item is on the commission's consent agenda, an indication the commission will approve the $1,476,293 construction contract at its April 6 meeting.